Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul:
You Brought the Heat, Now Have a Seat
Arriving on scene in Moseley Pool, I knew we were in for a banging time – yes the sun was high and the heat was climbing, but Birmingham was out in full force and marinating with a smile. Unfortunately for yours truly, the sun bested me over the course of the day – we’ll get to that later – but not before a sizable dent was made in the festival’s Sunday lineup.
The Mostly JFS Festival is a low-flying festival that has had some heavy hitters in recent years – classics like Kool and the Gang, pioneers of 21st century R’n’B like Greentea Peng, and Brit Awards “Band of the Year” Ezra Collective. Safe to say, a festival with a star-studded history, bringing returning headliner Jalen Ngonda and festival favourites Thee Sacred Souls.
Wandering into the festival, all the tennis courts of Moseley Pool have been taken over by caterers, but more excitingly by dance workshops. As I’m waiting to grab a beverage in the blistering sun, So Funk are giving a masterclass on centre court with plenty of onlookers becoming part of the dance themselves.
The Mostly JFS Festival is a low-flying festival that has had some heavy hitters in recent years – classics like Kool and the Gang, pioneers of 21st century R’n’B like Greentea Peng, and Brit Awards “Band of the Year” Ezra Collective. Safe to say, a festival with a star-studded history, bringing returning headliner Jalen Ngonda and festival favourites Thee Sacred Souls.
Wandering into the festival, all the tennis courts of Moseley Pool have been taken over by caterers, but more excitingly by dance workshops. As I’m waiting to grab a beverage in the blistering sun, So Funk are giving a masterclass on centre court with plenty of onlookers becoming part of the dance themselves.
Further down towards the lake was the dual stage set-up, flanked on all sides by festival-goers far more prepared than I was – deck chairs, parasols, blankets – all in the shadiest spots while the rest of us fried. It was a quaint setup as far as festivals go, and Moseley Pool was certainly a tranquil vista to base a local festival. I was having a quick chat with local artist Nicola (@cryola1), who was creating some stunning murals for the festival whilst The Atlantic Players were taking it to town.
I will say, seeing jazz on the big stage was a welcome change of pace to the intimate settings I’ve encountered it in in the past (shoutout Digbeth Jazz) and really worked to their advantage. It was nice to see the genres platformed centre-stage with global artists like Thee Sacred Souls and more local acts like the Blow Water DJs.
The acts just kept getting better as the day went on; coming all the way from Australia, Don West was a particular stand-out. Two of his ‘24 singles – ‘Small Change’ and ‘Friends’ – went down well, and encouraged me to have a proper listen to his latest album Give Me All Your Love. Sol Paradise immediately followed, with two very enthusiastic mates cheering on their keyboard player – very heartwarming vibes.
But who needs heartwarming when you’ve got heat-warming? It was around this time that yours truly started succumbing to heatstroke, though I soldiered on through Thee Sacred Souls beautiful performance as the sun set behind the Moseley townhouses. As beautiful as the festival was, and as welcoming and touching as the music was, the sun took me out of the festival prematurely. That being said, Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul was a banging local festival, and one I shall be returning to next year.
Footnotes
Worried about missing out on Mostly Jazz? I guess folk will do :/ Moseley Folk and Arts Festival is running from the 4th to the 6th of September!